Below is a table of the dynasties in Chinese history.

In most cases the dates given in the table are the commonly used conventional dates marking the generally agreed point at which power in China changed hands.

There is, however, still much dispute about dates in the Western Zhou period and earlier. It should also be noted that history is rarely as neat as it is portrayed and it was rare indeed for one dynasty to end calmly and give way quickly and smoothly to a new one. Dynasties were often established before the overthrow of an existing regime, or continued for a time after they had been defeated. In addition, China was divided for long periods of its history, with different regions being ruled over by different groups. At times like these there was no dynasty ruling a unified China.

One example of the potential for confusion will suffice. The conventional date 1644 marks the year in which the Manchu Qing dynasty armies occupied Beijing and brought Qing rule to China proper, succeeding the Ming dynasty. However, the Qing dynasty itself was established in 1636 (or even 1616, albeit under a different name), while the last Ming dynasty pretender was not disposed of until 1662. The change of ruling houses was a messy and prolonged affair, and the Qing took almost twenty years to extend their control over the whole of China. To pretend that everything changed all at once all over China in the year 1644 would make a nonsense of what actually happened.

For more details of the dynasties listed here and their emperors, follow the relevant links in the table. Click on H for the history of the dynasty, and E for a table its emperors (or other rulers).

Related topics

• History of China
• Timeline of Chinese history
  
• Table of Chinese monarchs (Note: This page is VERY long.)